HMO Licence Application Notice in Hounslow: Telling Your Mortgage Lender

Gathering your gas certificate, EICR, and floor plans feels like the hard part of an HMO licence application. But there's a step many Hounslow landlords overlook entirely — and skipping it can stall your application or create serious legal exposure with your mortgage lender.

Regulation 7(5) of the Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation and Other Houses (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) Regulations 2006, made under section 63 of the Housing Act 2004, requires an applicant to give specified information about the application to every relevant person they know. This includes mortgagees, owners such as freeholders and known head lessors, managers, and some long-term tenants or leaseholders.

Who You Need to Notify

The obligation is broad. Before or at the time of submitting your application on Hounslow Council's licensing portal, you must serve written notice on:

• Your mortgage lender — whether it's a standard residential mortgage, a buy-to-let mortgage, or a bridging loan secured against the property
• The freeholder — if you hold a leasehold interest and someone else owns the freehold
• Any head leaseholder — in buildings with layered leasehold structures
• Joint owners — anyone else named on the title who isn't the applicant
• The proposed licence holder or managing agent — if either is not the applicant

The notice tells each party that you're applying for an HMO licence at the property address. It's a factual disclosure, not a request for permission.

Why This Matters More Than It Sounds

Most standard residential mortgages and many older buy-to-let mortgages contain a clause prohibiting the borrower from operating the property as an HMO without the lender's written consent. Failing to give the required application notice breaches the licensing regulations, while operating against your mortgage terms can put you in default on your mortgage.

If the lender discovers the HMO use through a council register check, a property valuation, or a tenant complaint, the consequences range from a requirement to switch to a specialist HMO mortgage (at a higher rate) through to calling in the loan. The application notice creates a paper trail that shows you disclosed the use proactively.

For freeholders, the issue is similar. Many leases restrict subletting or use as multi-occupation premises. The freeholder may already know, but the statutory notification protects you against a claim that you concealed the licensing application.

How to Serve the Notice

The regulations do not prescribe a separate notice form. A clear, dated letter or email can provide the required information if it includes:

• Your name and contact details, plus those of the proposed licence holder if different
• Whether the application is for a Part 2 HMO licence or a Part 3 house licence
• The property address and Hounslow Council's name and address
• The date the application is or will be made

Send it by a method you can evidence — email with a read receipt, recorded delivery, or a signed acknowledgement. Keep a copy in your compliance file.

On Hounslow Council's licensing portal, you'll be asked to confirm that you've served notice on all relevant parties. The portal asks for the names and addresses of notified persons. Submitting the application without completing this step leaves the application incomplete and can delay processing.

What Happens If You Skip It

The Hounslow portal asks applicants to confirm that they have notified relevant parties. If you have not served a notice, contact the council to confirm whether it regards your application as complete; do not assume that an incomplete application gives Section 72(4) protection.

The Hounslow landlord licensing guide includes a notification log worksheet and template language you can adapt for your lender and freeholder letters — so nothing gets missed before you hit submit on the portal.

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